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A recent survey by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture found that more than two-thirds of respondents "somewhat" or "strongly" agreed that local food is better for their health than food that has traveled cross-country. Eating locally grown food is the latest trend in our battle to eat better and live healthier lives. Read on to find out what the movement is about.
What is the concept of eating locally grown?
According to Erin Barnett, director of LocalHarvest.org, " 'Eating local' means different things to different people, depending on how 'local' is defined."
Some define locally grown as within a 100-mile radius of where they live. But the overarching concept is that you purchase and eat foods produced close to home.
"Take the food's geographical origins into account, and that is the decision-making tool at the heart of eating locally grown," says Barnett.
Why buy local?
"It often means getting fresher food," says Urvashi Rangan, senior scientist and policy analyst at the nonprofit Consumers Union. The main reason, according to Rangan, is that it hasn't been trucked thousands of miles, so there's less time for food to spoil.
"But there are even more advantages to local food production. It saves on gasoline and reduces pollution from transporting food (which can help to reduce global warming), and, in many cases, it supports smaller-scale farmers," says Rangan.
So eating locally grown food supports the local economy; you eat fresher foods, think about your food more, get to know growers and help the environment — not bad.
Is it difficult to eat locally grown foods?
"Variety and balance are two key elements of a healthy diet. Trying to eat 100 percent local is difficult, impractical and can limit or eliminate some whole nutritious foods," says Laura Pensiero, a chef and nutritionist in Rhinebeck, N.Y.
Her approach: Eat local when possible.
Is it easier to buy locally grown foods in particular areas?
"Certainly it is easier to buy fresh local produce in areas of the country with long growing seasons," says Barnett.
Are there studies that show that locally grown foods are more nutritious?
"Not exactly, as a study like that would be difficult to do. Absolute nutrient content has so many variables, such as soil fertility, ripening times, etc.," says Rangan. However, research does show that produce picked at its peak has the highest nutrient content. Once picked, fresh produce gradually starts to degrade, she adds.
Isn't eating local restrictive, repetitive and boring?
Not necessarily. According to Rangan, the varieties of any one kind of local produce can be even more diverse than what you would find at a typical supermarket.
In fact, "People who buy at the supermarket get the same selection day in, day out, 365 days a year. It gets boring to look at that same array. You end up eating the same spuds or broccoli or apples and pears. It's much more appealing to change foods frequently," says Nina Planck, author of "Real Food: What to Eat & Why" (Bloomsbury, 2006) and founder of farmers markets in London and Washington, D.C.
Is it more expensive to eat locally grown foods?
If you shop at your local farmers market, the food may be even cheaper than in the supermarket because you are buying direct, without the middleman, says Rangan.
Does eating locally grown take an enormous amount of time?
How about sharing a program with neighbors and alternating pickups? Or start a cooking club, alternating cooking nights with friends and neighbors. "This is fun, time-saving, and you will build relationships and learn a lot about ingredients and food," says Pensiero. If you're interested in sustainable food production, conserving oil, polluting less, supporting local farmers, eating new and interesting varieties of food, then the effort to do those things may be worth it to you, Rangan adds.
How do you get started eating locally grown?
Check out www.LocalHarvest.org, which offers a national online directory of farmers who market their goods directly to the public.
Other resources:
www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets
Charles Stuart Platkin is a nutrition and public-health advocate, and author of "Breaking the FAT Pattern" (Plume, 2006). Sign up for the free Diet Detective newsletter at www.dietdetective.com.
